Press Release

Dr. Jerry Wartgow Calls Special Meeting and Announces 60-Day Action Plan In Reaction To State Accountability Reports

"We have to do better," said Superintendent Jerry Wartgow following release today of state accountability reports.

"This is no time to be defensive. These results show a systemic problem that we have been studying for months. It is now time to implement an action agenda that is based upon our research and best practices analysis," said Wartgow.

The accountability report listed 21 Denver schools as "unsatisfactory," including five high schools, five middle schools, and 11 elementary schools. Another 74 schools were listed as "low."

Today, Dr. Wartgow will visit a variety of schools. Between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., Dr. Wartgow will visit Abraham Lincoln High School (2285 S. Federal Blvd.) and Horace Mann Middle School (4130 Navajo St.). At 2 p.m., he will visit Swansea Elementary School (4650 Columbine St.). (Note: Media are welcome during these visits.)

"We're not overlooking the low performing schools but special attention needs to be made to the unsatisfactory schools because the consequences are greater for them," said Wartgow.

Wartgow announced a 60-day plan to address the under-achievement.

The plan begins tomorrow with an emergency meeting with the principals of low-performing schools. At that meeting, Wartgow and other district officials will outline the process for reviewing, sharpening, and implementing the school improvement plans that the state is requiring all unsatisfactory schools to develop.

Those plans must be submitted to the Colorado Board of Education in order for the school to receive improvement grants ($75,000 for elementary schools, $100,000 for middle schools, $125,000 for high schools).

Other action taken will include: follow-up meetings between Area Superintendents and each unsatisfactory school; a meeting with each unsatisfactory school's Community Decision Making (CDM) team; a meeting for low performing schools; a report to the Denver Board of Education in mid-October; and formal submission of an improvement plan to the state by mid to late October. A precise schedule for checking each school's improvement plan will be developed.

Dr. Wartgow also plans to showcase "best practices" in DPS and other districts by having better-performing schools share their methods for success with others.

"There are schools that have demonstrated the ongoing ability to outperform expectations and to do so over time," said Wartgow. "We also know there is a thirst among schools that have not done as well to hear about the programs others have embraced and the improvement plans that have been adopted. We plan to get the two groups together and share directly."